


some sunny day

by pseudocordelia



Series: ashedue week [6]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Awkward Crush, Getting Together, M/M, Medium Burn, Rivals to Lovers, nothing bad ever happened. ever
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2021-02-23 10:36:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23710150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pseudocordelia/pseuds/pseudocordelia
Summary: Ashe dreamed of becoming House Blaiddyd's finest knight, but he had competition. Mildly attractive competition.
Relationships: Ashe Duran | Ashe Ubert/Dedue Molinaro
Series: ashedue week [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1690231
Comments: 2
Kudos: 19





	some sunny day

**Author's Note:**

> Nothing bad ever happened.  
> I hope you enjoy.

"I’m proud of you, Ashe," Christophe said, patting his head and messing up his hair. Ashe pouted. 

Christophe was an amazing friend. He was the big brother Ashe never had. Ashe was no longer a child, though! He was 16 years old and he was on his first step to becoming House Blaiddyd’s greatest knight. 

He was so grateful to Lord Lonato for the opportunity. Lonato had set up a program so all the children of Gaspard could read. He paid for Ashe’s education and expected nothing in return. Perhaps sending his son to help with luggage was a bit much, though.

Regardless, it meant he had fully unpacked. "Thank you," Ashe admitted, under his breath. Christophe just grinned.

"No problem. I’m going out on the town with Cassandra now. I’ll see you when you graduate. Make sure to write, okay?"  
"I’ll write. See you!"  
"See you! I know you’ll do great."  
  
With that, Ashe was alone with his thoughts. He was tired, and the sky was already beginning to fade through sunset.

He changed into his nightclothes and went straight to sleep.

* * *

He had breakfast alone the next morning. He tried not to think about it. It was only the first day! They were to meet in their respective classrooms before orientation began. He could make a friend. (Probably.)

In class, though, he wanted to sit next to the prince… he didn’t exactly know what the prince looked like, but the blue cape gave it away. He sat at the front of the class, with the other spot on his bench already taken. He was chatting to the person beside him. He seemed happy for some reason.  
  
So much for that, Ashe supposed. Maybe another day. He sat towards the back of the class, beside a girl with tangerine coloured hair. She smiled at him, but before they got a chance to speak, their teacher walked in and tapped her pointer on the board. "Quiet," she demanded, despite everyone already going silent. It was a rude thought, but Ashe wondered if her outfit was even allowed. 

(He reminded himself not to judge.)

"I’m Manuela Casagranda, head of the infirmary. I’ll also be your homeroom teacher for the year. Call me Professor Manuela, please. Now let’s all introduce ourselves before orientation..." She retrieved a piece of paper from her coat. "Tell me a bit about you. Like your age and where you’re from. Let's start with Mr Blaiddyd."  
  
Oh no. At least they were doing it in alphabetical order, so Ashe could… think. What even was the point? Most of the class were nobles with recognisable names. Ashe was just a commoner.

In the meantime, Dimitri rose from his seat. "I insist you all call me by my first name," he declared. "I am Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd. I am 17 years old. I am from Fhirdiad. I… I hope we can all get along."

He let out a sigh of relief before sitting down. He seemed awfully tense. Ashe did not understand. Were not princes trained in public speaking? 

"Thank you, Dimitri," Manuela said, before continuing down the list. "Miss Dominic?"

The girl beside Ashe stood up. "Oh, um, I’m Annette!" she announced, letting out a little giggle. "I’m from Dominic, in case you couldn’t tell. I’m 16, but I turn 17 next month." She did a little curtsy before sitting down. 

"Miss Galatea?"

A girl with blonde hair in a long braid stood. "I’m Ingrid. I’m 17 and I’m from Galatea. I like horses!" She too did a little curtsy. 

"Mr Gautier?"

He shoved his chair out of the way with no grace at all. The boy beside him scowled as he straightened up their bench.  
  
"I’m Sylvain, I’m 19, I’m from Gautier, and I’m single," he said, a smug smirk on his face. Manuela squinted at him. "Please refrain from making such jokes in class."

"Only for you, Miss." He winked at her. She just groaned and continued.

"Mr Fraldarius?"

He stood up from besides Sylvain. "Felix. 17. From Fraldarius, obviously." He was quick and to the point. Manuela did not seem to mind. 

"Miss Martritz?"

"I’m Mercedes! I was born in Martritz in the empire, but I’ve lived in Fhirdiad for a long time. I can’t wait to get to know you all. Oh, and I’m 22." Her smile seemed sweet. (Ashe wondered why there were only three girls in their class.)

"Mr Molinaro?" 

The person sitting beside the prince stood up and bowed. Ashe couldn’t help but find his muscles impressive. "I am Dedue. I am 18 and I am from Duscur. I hope our year together is fruitful."

He sat down, and only then did Ashe realise he was the only one left. He had so much time to think, but he didn’t!  
  
"And finally," the professor said, "Mr Ubert?"

He stood. "I’m Ashe." His legs were shaking. "I’m 16 and from Gaspard. I-it’s great to meet you all." He sat down and only then did he realise that he forgot to bow! Not to mention that he was the youngest of the class.

Their teacher did not comment. She looked up at the clock. "Thank you, everyone. Looks like we have five minutes to spare… Why don’t you talk amongst yourselves? You’ll have to work together, so it's a good idea to start getting along now. Any questions, feel free to ask me."

With that, she casually took a seat _on_ the teacher's desk. She sat with her legs crossed. It was surprisingly eloquent.

"Hi, Ashe!" Annette was smiling at him. She outstretched a hand. "I'm Annette, but you already know that! Oh, and Mercedes is my best friend."

The older girl stood behind her and gave a small wave. Ashe tried his best to smile back at the two of them as he shook Annette's hand. "It's nice to meet both of you."

Best friends, huh…? Looking across the room, Ashe saw the other five of his classmates happily chatting. It seemed they already knew each other as well.

Ashe felt like an outsider. Even though Mercedes and Annette were nice to him - they sat and ate together with him - he still felt lonely throughout that day.

He tried to find an opportunity to speak to Dimitri, but he never saw him alone. Dedue always stood beside him. He stood beside him after the Archbishop's speech, during lunch and dinner and after class. Ashe didn't hear him speak once after the introduction.

Would Ashe really be able to become a knight?

It seemed he already had a rival.

* * *

It was the second day and they already had an assignment: a mock battle, to see where they were at and to test out their teamwork. Manuela explained the rules, gave them a map of the nearby woods and left them to it. The battle was tomorrow. They were to wear ribbons on their left arms: if removed, they had to leave the battlefield. No horses or other mounts were allowed. The last house standing would win. 

Dimitri rolled the map out onto the table. It had been separated into thirds: the Blue Lions were to start at the left side. 

The entire class stood around Dimitri.

"Mercedes!" he said, looking up to face her. "Annette has told me all about you. It is a pleasure to finally meet you. I apologise for not approaching you yesterday."

"No, no," she insisted, her motherly smile permanently plastered on her face. "The pleasure is all mine."

"You are indeed too modest." Dimitri's eyes scanned over everyone else before pausing on Ashe, who stood a small distance away from everyone else. "Ashe, I believe? I hope we can become good friends. Why don't you come closer?"

The _prince_ was speaking to him! Ashe didn't know what to say, so he just nodded and stepped forward. He made sure his posture was proper. If he helped win this, then the prince could notice his talents!

"What are your preferred weapons, Ashe?"  
"Bows and axes."   
"Then," he said, sliding his index finger across the map, "we'll have you stationed towards the front of the woods here. Dedue and Sylvain can cover the rest of that area. We'll have Mercedes and Annette towards the back, in case we need healing. I will stand a few paces outside of cover, so as to act as bait."

He moved his hand to point to the side of the forest. "Once we've attracted most of the enemy's attention, I'll raise my lance in the air and we'll have Felix and Ingrid come in quickly from here as a diversion, then start a head-on charge. Does that sound good?"

Everyone agreed. For now, they would train with the school’s provided wooden weapons. Ashe found himself alone with the training target.

* * *

Edelgard and Dimitri’s swords clashed together. The rest of the Black Eagles were nowhere to be seen and Dimitri had yet to do the signal. Ashe still felt that this was his moment. He grabbed his axe and ran to help.

Dedue did the same thing. Before they could even land a strike on Edelgard, Petra Macneary jumped out of the trees, a knife in hand. With one fell swoop, all three of their armbands fell to the ground. From the hills above, Manuela was pointing them to the rest area.  
  
They didn’t speak on their way over. They didn't look at each other either. Not even when the rest of the house joined them.  
  
Edelgard smirked. 

"The winner of the mock battle is the Black Eagles, with the Golden Deer in a close second!" one of the knights soon declared.

Ashe felt like a fool.

* * *

Manuela placed their weekend assignments by the entrance of the classroom like it was nothing. Like it wasn’t something they’d be doing every Saturday for an entire semester! 

Dimitri and Felix were weeding the gardens, Mercedes and Annette were cleaning the chapel, whereas Sylvain and Ingrid were patrolling the skies. 

Ashe and Dedue were on stable duty. 

Together. 

They hadn’t even spoken yet. Ashe was sure Dedue blamed him for that stunt at the mock battle, too…  
  
When Saturday came, though, Dedue didn’t mention it. They just met up in the morning and didn’t say much. As Dedue swept away and Ashe groomed the horses, Ashe decided to break their silence.

"I don’t understand why Professor Manuela put us together," he sighed. Dedue in return just nodded.   
"I am not particularly good with horses, so please just allow me to sweep the floors."  
  
Ashe remembered when he spooked the horses in the Gaspard manor. When Lonato told him it was okay to make mistakes. "Wouldn’t it be a good idea to get used to them, then? I can help."

Dedue shook his head. "I do not need any help. It is just… there were not many horses in my village."

His village? Ashe didn’t know much about Duscur. He knew Christophe’s mother was from there, but Christophe never really talked about it. Ashe couldn’t help but be curious now, though.

"How did you even meet his highness?"  
"When the king came to Duscur, Dimitri saved me from a giant wolf. We had been exchanging letters ever since. He hopes to make me a knight."   
"I see." 

It was just dumb luck that had brought Dedue ahead of him. Ashe would never admit he was jealous, but he definitely was.

Silence arose once again as they cleaned the rest of the stable. It was a little less uncomfortable than it was at the start, though.

* * *

"Ashe!" Dimitri approached him from across the training grounds the next day and tossed a sword his way. "Dedue was telling me about you. I realised that we have barely talked, so let’s spar together!"

Ashe picked up the sword and readied his stance. He wasn’t sure what to say, so he just nodded. Without a moment’s hesitation, Dimitri’s sword clashed against his. He tried to parry, but Dimitri was quick to move again. With a strike at the hilt, Ashe’s sword fell out of his hand. 

The prince just laughed. "I’m sorry. This seems a bit unfair, in hindsight."  
  
"I am not the best with a sword," Ashe said, faking a smile. The prince just shook his head.  
  
"We all have room for improvement. We can continue if you would like!" 

"No thank you, Your Highness." Ashe had other things on his mind. "Dedue told me you want to make him a knight. I was wondering why, if you don’t mind me asking..."

"Of course," Dimitri replied. "You see, in Duscur, they do not have a royal family. Dedue treats me like an equal, and I endlessly appreciate him for that. I want my knights to be able to call me their friend." 

"I… I see." Ashe wasn’t sure what to make of that. He knew he should make his intentions clear, though. No use beating around the bush, as Christophe told him! "I want to be a knight for House Blaiddyd, one day, Your Highness." 

"Then start by calling me by my name," Dimitri said, grinning. "Why don’t we have a meal together?"   
"Okay… Dimitri."  
  
The name felt strange on his tongue. 

* * *

"Dimitri told me you want to a be a knight," Dedue said that next Saturday. He did not look up from the ground he was sweeping. 

Ashe paused for a moment. Once again, he didn’t know what to say. He might as well give Dedue the truth. He took a deep breath. "Have you ever read Loog and the Maiden of Wind?"  
"I have not."  
  
Dedue still didn’t look at him. Ashe awkwardly laughed. "Well, I want to be a knight like Loog," he said. "I want to help people!"   
"I see." 

He just kept on with his work. Ashe felt… awkward. Even if Dedue was his rival, they’d be stuck together for a while. 

Ashe played with his sleeves for a moment. "I can… still help you with the horses, you know." He definitely wasn’t staring. "They’re sweethearts, once you get to know them."

Dedue placed his broom against the wall. "If you insist."

"Well, you approach them from the front. Slowly… you don’t want to spook them." Ashe let out a sigh of relief as he passed Dedue the curry comb. "They’re prey animals, you know."

Dedue nodded, and their hands brushed together for a moment.  
  
Ashe didn’t think about it. 

* * *

"Why don’t we sit together as a class this evening?" Mercedes suggested as everyone packed up their desks. Manuela had just finished a lecture on the basics of tactics. (Ashe maybe copied Annette’s notes.)

At the end of the month, they were going to help the knights rebuild a Gautier town. It had been destroyed by bandits.

Ingrid seemed more worried about dinner. She pumped her fists in excitement. "That sounds like a great idea, Mercedes!" 

Annette nodded excitedly while Dimitri laughed. "I agree," he said. "That sounds wonderful." Dedue nodded as well.  
"I’ll drag Felix along," Sylvain declared. Felix just scowled. "Come on, you need to eat properly!"

Ashe supposed he would be going as well. 

* * *

As Ashe stepped into the dining hall, Mercedes waved to him from across the room. The rest of the class was already at the table, except for Dedue. Sylvain and Felix bickered about something or other, while Ingrid was busy (quite literally) tearing into her food. Ashe took a seat beside Dimitri, who was happily chatting with Annette from across the table. 

"So that’s why you don’t use cooking wine to put out a fire," Annette giggled. Dimitri nodded as if he was deep in thought. Ashe… decided not to comment. Annette, goddess bless her, just smiled at him.

"Hi, Ashe! It’s good to see you."  
"Hello!"  
"Hey."

Ashe was unsure what to talk about. Thankfully, Annette and Dimitri continued to speak of their kitchen disasters. Ashe just ate his meal - some well-seasoned chicken - whilst silently listening. (And trying not to wince.)

Just before Dimitri began to tell the story of the "cake incident", Dedue sat beside Ashe. Ashe was unsure what to say, but Dimitri just happily waved. 

"Kitchen duty took longer than expected. The girl from the Golden Deer I was paired with insisted she could not help."  
"Wait, did you cook this?" Ashe asked. The food was… really good.  
Dedue smirked. "Yes."  
"It’s delicious! Does your family own a restaurant or something?"  
"No. My sister and I merely helped with cooking at home."

That was all? Dedue seemed to be a better cook than he was, somehow. Even worse, it seemed Dedue was trying not to laugh!

"You seem surprised."

"I am!" Ashe admitted. "My family owns a restaurant. Oh, and I have a little sister too! She’s a few years younger than my little brother." 

Dedue nodded as he poured himself some water. "You seem excited to talk about them."

"Ah." Ashe paused for a moment. Was it that obvious? They were brats, but they were his brats. "I’m sorry."

  
"No, go on. I love my little sister. It is nice to hear you talk about yours."

"O-okay."

They talked long after everyone else had left the table. They had a lot more in common than Ashe thought.

* * *

Manuela put them together again. Carrying materials from room to room was mundane, but it was for a worthy cause. (Ashe hoped to improve his upper body strength. His arms were quite toned already from practicing archery, but Dedue could carry much more than him!) 

Ashe placed some wood down on the remaining floor. The house had been half burnt down, but the foundations were still there. 

Dedue kneeled down in a corner. He tucked something out from between the floorboards. 

It meowed. It was a tabby cat with only one eye. The poor thing was awfully skinny. It was calm in Dedue's hands, thankfully.

"I heard something moving."   
"I think we're meant to report anything unexpected."  
"Of course. I hope the knights have something for him to eat."

(Dedue holding a cat was kind of cute. Ashe would never admit it.) 

When they arrived at the knight's camp, a group of children were gathered to watch Manuela sing. Ashe was about to say something to get her attention when a little girl with braided hair ran towards them. She was beaming! "You found Loog!"

The cat pounced out of Dedue's hands. He rubbed his cheeks against the girl and began to purr. Ashe kneeled so he could face her at eye level.

"Is he your kitty?" Ashe asked. "I think he's really hungry."  
"Okay! I'll tell mama. Thanks a bunch, sir!" She scooped the cat into her arms and scurried off. 

Manuela, having finished her song, took the girl's place. "I saw that, you know."

"Oh!" Ashe stood up straight. "Dedue found the cat."  
" Ashe handled the situation, though."  
Manuela shook her head. "You both did a good job," she said. "I'm glad to see you working together… If I am to be honest, your failure to cooperate during the mock battle was our downfall."

"I'm sorr-"

She put a finger up to shoosh Ashe. "Don't apologise. Just keep on helping each other. None of this is a competition, alright?" She winked for a moment. "The same goes to you, Dedue!"

Dedue nodded. "Of course, Professor."   
"Then I'll get out of your hair. I have a high-class audience today, after all!"

She left before Ashe had a chance to ask any more questions. Dedue went to get more materials, so Ashe of course followed. _He wanted to help people!_

"The cat was named Loog," Dedue stated, heaving up a pile of stone. "Like that book you mentioned."  
"It’s really popular in Faerghus." Ashe picked up his fair share. "It’s like… a legend?"  
"We have different legends in Duscur."   
That made Ashe curious. "Can you tell me about them?"  
"Perhaps some other time. It seems we are getting distracted."   
"O-oh!" Ashe definitely wasn’t blushing. "Of course."

* * *

The stable was always quiet. Over the months, Dedue slowly but surely got closer to the horses. Sometimes, he would tell a story to fill in the silence. 

"The sun and the moon once lived together in the sky," he said. Ashe stopped his work for a moment just to listen. "They fell in love. But when they embraced each other, the moon blocked the sun’s light.

The gods were displeased and called a council. The god of harvest needed the sun’s light for crops to flourish. The goddesses of the seasons needed the sun’s light so the people could be warm. They declared that the sun and the moon were to split the days between one another, but the sun and the moon begged and begged. They wanted to be together."

The horse whinnied. Dedue stroked its nose and let it calm down before continuing on.

"The goddess of love took pity on them. She decided that they must reunite every 400 years, or else their sorrow would grow too strong." 

Ashe liked Dedue’s stories. He tried his best to retell his own favourite stories.

* * *

The training grounds were empty. Ashe took some targets out of storage and set up a shooting range. Taking a deep breath, he pulled his bowstring taut.  
  
"Hello!" 

He let go and missed the target. Dimitri had startled him! He didn’t even seem to notice. "It seems you and Dedue have gotten quite close, Ashe!" he said, happily waving. 

Ashe furrowed a brow in confusion. "I suppose?" 

"He told me that he felt like an outsider." Dimitri looked at the ground, frowning. "It is unfortunate. When I am king, I hope to introduce a scholarship for Duscur students. Walking side by side would be beneficial for both our nations."

  
"That sounds like a good idea." What else was he meant to say? 

"O-oh!" The prince flinched for a moment, before bowing. "Please forgive me for getting sidetracked! I just wanted to thank you for listening to him. He doesn't tell stories to many people. I also wanted to tell you that his birthday is at the end of the month. The 31st of the Verdant Rain Moon. He’ll insist he doesn’t want anything, but I know he’ll appreciate anything you get him." 

Their birthdays weren’t too far apart, it seemed. He knew Dedue liked flowers and cinnamon tea, but he probably had enough of those already.

"Thank you for telling me, Dimitri," Ashe said, taking a bow as well. "Would you like to spar? I think I’ve gotten better."   
"Of course! I won’t go easy on you."

(The match was much closer than last time. Ashe still lost. He called Dimitri by his name, though, and it felt natural.)

* * *

Ashe was meant to be buying flour when it caught his eye. He haggled with the shopkeep for almost an hour, and even then he still spent what was probably a bit too much. If Dedue didn’t like it, there would still be the cinnamon rolls he and Mercedes were baking.

* * *

  
Dedue liked it.

Ashe handed the box to him as they finished up stable duty the day before his birthday. Ashe was impatient, and he wanted it to be a special moment. Just between them. The rest of the class had a lot of stuff planned for the actual day. 

"I got you a little something," Ashe said.

Dedue opened the box to see a small copper brooch. It was shaped like three stalks of lavender. He smiled and pinned it to the collar of his uniform. It sat on the opposite side of his earring.

"Thank you, Ashe."  
"I’m glad you like it."  
"...when is your birthday?"  
"The 17th of the Wyvern Moon."  
"That is soon. Would you like anything?"

Ashe shook his head. "You don’t need to get me anything."  
"I insist."

"Well, if you insist…" he paused for a moment to think. "Maybe something to do with Duscur? I really like your Duscur stories. And your Duscur cooking, too!" 

"I can do that." 

* * *

The battle of the eagle and lion is around the corner before they know it. It’s two weeks away. Their plan still isn’t set in stone. (Dedue was still wearing his brooch. It seemed he only took it off during combat training, or when he was cooking.)

"We could have Dedue, Felix and I block off the bridges, while Mercedes and Annette stay in the backlines. Sylvain and Ingrid should be able to quickly move between points in case any of us are at risk, and Ashe should be able to snipe from a distance. 

"Wait," Ashe said, pointing to the centre of the map. "Wouldn’t it be better for us to charge and take the ballista? That way, Ingrid will be less at risk. Mercedes, Annette and I can stick close together and attack from a distance, while you or Dedue protect us from anyone who gets too close. Then the rest of our class can go on the offensive."

Dimitri paused for a moment, furrowing his brow. "Then…" he pointed to the central bridge, "Ingrid, Sylvain, Felix and I will wait here, while you, Dedue, Mercedes and Annette take the ballistae. Then, once you are approached, we can encircle the enemy. To increase mobility, I will ride with Sylvain, and Felix can ride with Ingrid. After taking out one of the classes, we will approach the other." 

"That works!" Ashe said. Everyone else nodded in agreement, except for Felix.  
"Really?" he sighed. His arms were crossed. "If I fall and die, it’s your fault."  
Ingrid smirked. "Like I would ever let you. You’d come back to haunt me." 

Dimitri did not let Felix’s sour mood stop him from smiling. "That won’t happen!" he declared. "Your equipment is lighter than mine and better suited for pegasus riding. Besides, I’m sure improving your flying skills would impress Glenn."

"Fine, I’ll do it."   
"Then let’s begin training!" Ingrid’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. She dragged Felix out by the arm and the rest of the class followed.  
  
As Ashe made his way to the training grounds, Dedue pulled him aside. "It is your birthday," he said, handing over a large hemp bag. Inside was a leatherbound book, and several pouches. Ashe couldn’t help but feel a little flustered. Dedue was too nice.

"It is a book of recipes," Dedue said. "I also procured some of the harder to find spices." 

"Thank you so much!" Had Ashe a little less self-control he might've hugged Dedue. "Someday, I want to be better than you at cooking."  
"That day would've been a long time ago."  
"There's no need to be so humble." He tried not to pout, but again, Dedue really was too nice. Ashe wanted to be the best knight in Faerghus if not all of Fodlan… but Dedue was too precious. Dedue was an awful rival!

He didn’t even seem to notice. He just smiled at Ashe.

"Would you like to do some endurance training later today?  
"...sure." 

* * *

The moment the trumpets sounded, Ashe started running. Dedue was right behind, despite his heavy armour, with Mercedes and Annette not too far behind. They took the platform without any opposition. 

Mercedes and Annette high-fived. Ashe prepared the ballista. The golden deer - led by Lorenz - were already approaching. (Claude seemed disappointed.) He could see Ingrid and Sylvain on their way, though. 

Everything went to plan. Ashe attacked from a distance with Annette and Mercedes backing him up. Dedue protected them. (Dedue protected him.) 

The golden deer went down quickly. (Lorenz’ fault, Ashe would hear.) The black eagles soon fell as well. Dimitri and Edelgard had faced each other one on one, yet Dimitri was victorious. 

They won. 

Ashe knew before it was even announced. Even then, hearing Seteth declare "the winners are the Blue Lions" filled him with joy! He wanted to dance and he wanted to sing. He wanted to celebrate! He was so happy that he could kiss someone--  
  
Dedue dropped his axe and hugged him.  
  
It was a bit uncomfortable: Dedue’s armour poked him… but it was also nice. To know that he was cared for. It was only a brief moment, but Ashe let Dedue hold him.

As they parted, Dimitri clapped them both on the shoulders. (He truly was the worst at reading the atmosphere.) "Nice work!" he declared. Manuela approached from behind him.

"You all did great, and I’m proud of you." She was genuinely smiling. "I’ll be at the banquet tonight! Let’s all celebrate, okay?" 

Ashe was happy.

* * *

"Are you any good at dancing, Ashe?" Annette asked as she leaned down close. The makeup brush almost tickled. She had finished his eye makeup and was now putting on just a bit of foundation.  
"Y-yeah." Only because of Manuela’s private lessons, though.

"Really? Maybe you should’ve been our representative instead of me!"  
"...didn’t you beg Manuela?"

Mercedes laughed from her corner of the room. Annette pouted.

"That’s beside the point! If I didn’t, she would’ve nominated Felix and then we’d all be doomed. Anyway..." she took a deep breath. "you can open your eyes now." 

Ashe fluttered his eyes open. Annette was holding up a hand mirror for him.

The foundation didn’t cover his freckles. The mascara and eyeliner really brought out his eyes. The eyeshadow Mercie chose was a dark green with a subtle shimmer.

"I knew that colour would look good on you!" Mercedes said. Annette nodded.  
"Yeah! You look amazing. You’ll knock Dedue dead!"  
"Thank you…? I really like it, but what does Dedue have to do with this?" Ashe was a bit confused. Annette just smiled like it was nothing.  
"You like him, don’t you?"

Ashe didn’t _dislike_ Dedue. He was one of the nicest people Ashe knew. But romantically…? 

"O-of course not! He’s my rival."  
"I knew it!"  
"Annie," Mercie said in a motherly voice, "stop being so nosy."

"Okay, I’m sorry…" Annette pouted for just a moment. "I’m here for you, though, Ashe! He would be the perfect husband! He’s such a sweetheart."

The worst part was she was right. He was tall and handsome and his cooking was to die for. He was gentle. They had a lot in common, too. Maybe Ashe did like him, but he wouldn’t be admitting that to Annette!

He shook his head, trying to get rid of the thoughts. "Maybe we should make our way over to the ball."   
"Of course!"  
"Yeah! We don’t want to be late."

* * *

Annette and Mercie ran straight over to the snack table. Ashe was about to follow when in the corner of his eye he saw Dedue. He was alone, seemingly watching Dimitri from a distance. He had let his hair down. (He was still wearing the brooch. Dimitri was dancing with Edelgard. They seemed happy.) 

Ashe approached him and bowed before offering a hand. "Would you like to dance?"

Dedue blinked. He seemed astonished, almost. "You look divine."  
Divine…!? Ashe looked away, trying to hide how flustered he was. "Th-thanks! Annette did my makeup."  
"I would love to dance."  
  
Dedue placed his hand in Ashe’s. He pulled him into a waltz.

Perhaps Ashe was a bit competitive about it. They went faster and faster as the band continued to play. It was great, though. It was… exhilarating! By the time Dimitri interrupted, asking if he may steal a dance from Ashe, he was out of breath. He still said yes. 

It was a wonderful night.

* * *

Ashe wrote home. He wrote to Christophe, too. Recounting everything made him smile. Helping people alongside the knights, sitting with his friends in the dining hall, winning the Battle of The Eagle and Lion… it had been amazing.

His time at the academy had been amazing, but he realised how little time they had left.  
  
It was less than three months until graduation. He had less than three months to prove himself to Dimitri. He had less than three months to spend with Dedue.

Not that he liked Dedue or anything. Even then, Dedue probably didn't like him back...

* * *

Over the next few months, they cooked and gardened together. They trained together. They spent late nights studying in the library together. Ashe felt he aced his exams, both the practical and theoretical sections, but he wouldn’t have been able to do it without Dedue. 

Their last stable duty passed and they barely noticed. Their hands had touched way too many times, though! 

When Dedue stood over Ashe’s shoulder and talked him through his notes, when Ashe passed Dedue the ladle, when Dedue helped Ashe off the training ground floor, when they reached for the watering can at the same time…

They would look at each other and say nothing of the matter. They both acknowledged it, but nothing more. 

* * *

The night before graduation, they were put on kitchen cleaning duty together. They made light work of it, though. As Ashe placed the broom back in its corner, Dedue brushed his thumb over his cheek. "There was some flour." Dedue was staring right at him.  
  
"Thank you," Ashe murmured. He couldn’t help but blush. Dedue did not seem to notice. Instead, he took a deep breath.  
  
"I am wondering what you plan to do after graduation?" he asked. 

"Well, I want to go home for a bit, of course. If Dimitri lets me, though… I’d like to move to Fhirdiad and live in the knights’ quarters. I’d have to be knighted, first, though." Dimitri still hadn’t confirmed anything. It was kind of frustrating. 

"Dimitri has noticed your talents, Ashe," Dedue assured him. "Do not tell him I told you, but he plans to speak to you tomorrow. There is something else I would like to talk about, though…" 

"Ah?" Ashe cocked his head. Dedue was avoiding eye contact, which was unusual for him. "What is it?"  
  
"I will be going home for a bit as well… I have really enjoyed our time together, though, Ashe. You have made me want to work harder. I want to spend more time with you. I would like to take you to my village to meet my family."  
  
Ashe didn’t understand, exactly. It seemed too good to be true. "Does that mean… what I think it means?"  
  
"I apologise if I was not forward enough. What I mean is, I would like to… court you. I am not particularly familiar with Fodlan’s traditions when it comes to courting, but I have been attracted to you for quite a while now. You have been kind to me, even though I have not always been kind to you. If you do not feel the same way towards me, though, that is completely fine. Forgive me for rambling."

Ashe wanted to speak, but the words wouldn’t come out. His eyes felt wet. Dedue fished a handkerchief out and hesitantly handed it to Ashe. "I’m sorry for making you uncomfortable."

"N-no, that’s not it." Ashe stuttered for a bit before looking up and smiling at Dedue. He wrapped his arms around Dedue. "I’m just… really happy. I do feel the same. I would love to see your village… and maybe you can visit my hometown as well."  
Dedue hugged him back. "I’d love to."

For a moment, they just stood and held each other. (They held hands on graduation day. Nobody commented.)

* * *

It had been a year since then. It was their first anniversary. 

In the past year, they had met each other’s families. They were knighted. They celebrated each other’s birthdays together. They had shared their first kiss.

Tonight, they shared their first time. It was slow and embarrassing, but it was amazing. Ashe was gentle and Dedue was patient. Now, they laid beside one another, blissfully taking in each other’s presence.  
  
"You know," Ashe said, nuzzling into Dedue’s chest, "do you think we still would’ve fallen in love if we met differently?"  
"What do you mean?"  
"Well like, one time my parents got really sick… if they had died back then, I’d probably be a different person."  
"I remember when the king visited Duscur… many people thought it was going to end badly. If it had gone wrong, I can very much see my life being different. It is strange to think about. It doesn’t matter, though." Dedue laid a kiss on Ashe’s forehead before beginning to card his fingers through Ashe’s hair. "What matters is we found each other in this life."  
Ashe let out a small giggle. "You’re right. It was just something to think about, I guess."

"Good night, Ashe."  
"Good night, Dedue."  
  
The candle went out.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading < 3 This one got posted a lot later than planned, but I think that gave me time to polish it up.


End file.
